Cherry Christmas
by Ashi Ruby
Summary: Sakura doesn't like receiving presents in her hand for Christmas, as the only gift she wanted was her friends around her. But Sasuke was going to make sure she got something in her hands. A cute SasuSaku holiday fic full of fluff!


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Author's Note: Happy Holidays everyone! I decided until Christmas I would write a bunch of cute one-shots for the holiday season. If you're a reading of Emerald Dreams, Onyx Fantasies and/or Into The Night, don't worry! I'll be updating them and have their next chapters up by New Years Day! But for now, enjoy the cute fluffiness!

Cherry Christmas

"Oy, will you two just stop with the fighting for one day? It's Christmas Eve for Kami's sake!"

"It's not my fault he's being a teme!"

"Dobe."

"Teme!"

Sakura let out an irritated sigh, trying her best to fight the urge to slap both of them. _'Just stay calm, girl. Kakashi-sensei will be here soon, and then they'll stop,'_ she thought, clenching and unclenching her fists a few times before letting her hands rest.

_**'And if not, then we'll kick their asses during training!'**_

_'I rather not, thanks to it being Christmas.'_

_**'Oh, who cares! Shannaro!'**_

_'You're hopeless, Inner.'_

Sakura was thrown out of her thoughts by a kunai coming at her head, barely dodging it as it went past. "What the hell?" she yelled, glaring over at the two boys. "He did it!" Naruto yelled, pointing over at Sasuke who just grunted and looked away. Sakura sighed, extremely annoyed, then turned on her heel. "Forget this. I'm not going to start off the Christmas weekend dealing with you two idiots who can't spend ONE DAY without fighting," she said, walking away towards home.

"Sakura-chan!"

"That was different."

"It's all your fault teme!"

"Hn. Dobe."

"Teme!"

Sasuke ignored the yelling blonde and watched as Sakura's figure disappeared from view. That was one of the few times he's known of the girl actually yelling at him, if you don't include the time when he finally returned home from killing his brother and the snake Sannin Orochimaru. However, he didn't have time to dwell more on his thoughts before a man appeared before them, an orange book in hand.

"Hello boys. Sorry I'm late--"

"Save it Kakashi-sensei!"

"Ah...My, where's Sakura?"

"She went home because of that stupid teme!" Naruto yelled, pointing again at Sasuke. "No, it's because we wouldn't stop arguing," he replied, looking away from his silver hair sensei. "Again? Boys...you really need to stop doing that. At least until the day after Christmas. There's good reason then for Sakura getting upset," Kakashi replied, putting his book away.

"Hmm? There is?"

"Idiot."

"Knock it off. Yes, there is. This happens to be Sakura's favorite holiday. Ever noticed how much happier she is during this time of the year? And how you both don't have bruises on your heads from one of her angered punches?"

"Come to think of it...hey, how did you know that!?"

"It's one of the things I learned the second year you were gone."

Kakashi smiled through his mask, "Sakura, Tsunade, and I had an old-fashion Christmas, I guess you can say, as her family, since you know she lost her parents before that." The two boys stood there in silence, until Naruto's face lit up and he jumped slightly. "Hey, I got an idea! How about this year we give Sakura-chan an old-fashion Christmas or whatever and make her really, really happy!? Teme and I won't fight, and I'll have Shizune help me with making food and whatever since she's a great cook, and then we can all go over to her house and surprise her with it!" Naruto said, somewhat surprising Kakashi with how fast he was talking, "And I know Hinata-chan said her house was already decorated, since I overheard her talking to Hanabi about decorating and stuff the last time I went over there, so we don't have to do that."

The jonin pondered that for a moment, then a smile came through the mask again. "I believe that is a good idea, Naruto. We will work on that then. Sasuke, are you going to help?" he asked, turning his attention over to the Uchiha. Sasuke scoffed, "No."

Naruto's face deadpanned, "Why not!?"

"Because I don't care about this stupid holiday."

"Oh, so you don't care about making Sakura-chan happy and make day you helped screw up better?"

"Hn."

As Sasuke began to walk away, Naruto growled low in his throat, turning away. "You're lucky teme that I'm not going to keep arguing with you. At least someone is willing to actually show that they care about her," he said, muttering it low enough for him to hear.

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks at that moment, turning around to glare at the retreating blonde. "Don't even think that I don't care about her," he muttered, continuing his walk.

* * *

Sakura let out a small, happy sigh as she entered her house, dropping the keys on the stand by the door and taking off her sandals, placing them by her slippers. "Ah...feels good being at home. Away from fighting idiots and late senseis. A good time for hot cocoa and music on the radio. Or bake cookies," she said, already going towards the living room to turn on her stereo. She hummed along to the music that was playing and spun around as she took off her scarf and jacket, tossing them on the couch as she did.

A knock came at her door, and she let out a loud, annoyed sigh. "Coming," she said, going back to the door she just locked.

"Hmm? Sasuke-kun? Wow, isn't this a surprise."

"Hn."

"Come in, I guess."

Sakura stood over to the side as the Uchiha came in, immediately taking in the warmth the home let off. "So, what brings you over here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Sasuke was quiet for a minute, turning towards the sound of the music. "It's my radio. I decided to play some Christmas music while I bake cookies. I wasn't going to do it yet, but since I didn't want to deal with you two while you were fighting, I was going to do it now," she said, heading for the kitchen. Sasuke watched as she took out an apron from the pantry closet, a violet one covered with snowflakes and different stains from food she's cooked since it was last washed.

"So...are you going to answer me or just stand in the doorway?"

"Hn. I came over to apologize."

"Wow, the mighty Uchiha apologizing for something?"

"Are you enjoying your sarcasm?"

"Very much so indeed," she replied, a sly smile stretching across her face as she pulled out the premade cookie dough from her fridge. He glared at her, making her laugh ever slightly. "Well, either way, I forgive you Sasuke-kun. Christmas is a time of forgiving and forgetting," she said, now humming along to the song that was playing on the radio. She unwrapped the cookie dough, taking her knife and splitting it up into their cookie shapes.

"Do you want to help?"

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a no. Ah well."

Sasuke smirked, coming into the kitchen. "I guess I haven't mastered Sasuke-ese then," she said, almost laughing at his confused face at the word she used, "Well, you can start by grabbing those cookie sheets from in the cabinet above the counter and rub a light coat of grease over it so the cookies don't stick. Then, you can grab the packet of cookie mix from under the cabinet over there by the fridge."

* * *

"You're not very good at baking, are you?"

"Hn."

"Oy...I didn't think that making dough would be THAT hard."

Sakura shook her head, trying her best to brush out some of the spilled flour out of her hair. She looked around at the mess that was her kitchen. "And I thought Uchihas were good on their feet and don't make mistakes," she said with a sigh, picking up the fallen container, now rolling on the floor after Sasuke accidentally dropped it out of the cabinet, and the bowl of now ruined cookie dough.

"Shut up. Not my fault that the floor was wet."

"Who was the one that dropped their cup of tea?"

"...Shut up."

She shook her head again as she brushed past him, grabbing a broom and dustpan from the pantry. "While I take care of the cookies, you can start sweeping up the flour. I hope you can do that," she said with an aspirated sigh, pulling out the now last batch of cookies. Sasuke continued to glare at the pink hair girl as she lifted each cookie off gently and placed them just as carefully on the large plate, already full of the treat. She took off the white-and-violet apron, frowning, and tossed it on a chair to wash later. She looked over at the Uchiha and sighed, taking the broom and dustpan away from him, "You should go and wash up a bit. I have washcloths and mini-towels in the bathroom closet, second shelf. The room itself is down the hall, first door on the left. I'll clean up."

"Why?"

"It may have been your mess, but you're my guest, so I'll clean. Go and wash up; your face and arms are just coated with flour and bits of cookie dough."

"Hn."

Sasuke brushed out some of the white powder from his hair before walking past, barely catching the light laughter coming from Sakura.

When he came back, he found Sakura still in the kitchen, leaned against the pantry door sipping hot cocoa. She looked up, smiled slightly, then pointed over at the microwave, "Waiting for my lunch to finish cooking. Want some?" He shook his head and she gave out a light laugh. "There's tomatoes in the fridge. Feel free to help yourself; I'm not a big fan of them," she said, now pointing over to a cup of warm cocoa on the counter beside her, "I don't know if you want it or not, but I made you a cup as well. Just don't spill it." She sent him a small smirk as she moved over in front of the microwave, pulling out a plate of warmed ham. She grabbed a fork from a drawer and left the kitchen with the plate and cup in hand, going towards the couch to sit down and listen to her beloved Christmas music.

Sasuke watched her disappear before going into the fridge and finding the small stash of tomatoes in a plastic bag resting peacefully on a shelf. He grabbed one and followed suit, joining Sakura on the couch as she took a bite of the slice of ham. He took a good look at her living room at that point.

By the only window in the room rested the small tree, decorated nicely with ornaments and multi-colored lights with a handmade angel at the top. Around the windows were strung streams of garland with a wreath over the top. On top of the TV, next to two photos and the radio, were holiday candles, currently not lit. He was slightly amused about the feeling the decorations gave off; he could see another reason behind why his teammate enjoyed the Christmas season.

He looked toward the tree and slightly frown at seeing only four gifts resting on the skirt underneath. _'Only four?'_ he questioned, a little surprised to see so little under the tree. Isn't there supposed to be more under there?

"You can't get your gift yet, Sasuke-kun. You need to wait until tomorrow."

"Hm?"

"I can see you staring at them. You get your gifts tomorrow, just like Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Ino-pig."

"They're for us?"

Sakura took a sip of her cocoa, "Of course. Did you actually expect me to put gifts to myself under the tree?" She laughed at that, taking another bite of her lunch afterward. "Why aren't there gifts for you under there?" he asked, a little curious; usually she has gifts galore from fanboys and such, all of which he and Naruto had to beat off with a stick at one point or another.

"I didn't want any. Christmas isn't about gifts, Sasuke-kun. At least those you can hold in your hands," she said, putting her plate down on the table and looking straight at the boy, emerald clashing seriously with onyx, "Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones. Family and friends, and even pets if people got them. It's not about shiny jewels and twinkling lights. They may be pretty, but they're not as beautiful as sitting around and enjoying the company of others. That's why I don't want any gifts for me under the tree."

She brushed a hand through her hair, still covered in flour although not as much as before, "The only gift I want is to have the company of you, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Tsunade-sama. That's all I want, and all I ever will want for Christmas. I don't want anything in my hands unless it's the hand of a loved one." She picked up her plate again and took another bite of the ham.

Sasuke continued to stare at her as she took the last bite of her lunch and stood up, taking her empty plate and near empty cup of cocoa to the kitchen. He watched her disappear before standing up, "I best be going. I'm sure by now Naruto is stalking my house looking for me."

"Okay, Sasuke-kun," Sakura yelled, "Thank you for coming over and helping me. See you tomorrow then."

"Hn. Bye."

As soon as he left the house, he smirked, turning away and headed for the market and Tsunade's office. _'Whether you like it or not, you're getting a gift in your hands,'_ he thought, digging his hands into his pockets as he walked, chuckling out loud to himself.

* * *

The next morning came quickly it seemed, compared to yesterday, in Sakura's mind. She smiled as she woke up, her emerald eyes still tired. She looked over at her clock; 9:47. "Good. Enough time to make my rounds and deliver my cards and gifts before I go over and see Tsunade-sama," she said, stretching her arms as she sat up in her bed, pulling off her blankets.

As soon as she was dressed and washed up, she went downstairs and promptly gasped at what she saw.

"Merry Christmas, Sakura-chan!"

"Surprise, Sakura."

"Hn. Morning."

"What's this about?" Sakura asked a bit breathlessly, a hand over her heart in her effort to calm down. "We wanted to surprise you for Christmas," Naruto said proudly, "We even have Shizune and Hinata-chan helping with bringing a good dinner for all of us to share, and Tsunade-baa-chan is going to come over this afternoon, and we're going to have an old-fashion Christmas together." Sakura smiled, wiping a small, surprised tear from her eyes. "Guys...this is just so great! It's exactly what I wanted!" she exclaimed, giving each of them a hug, despite the awkwardness that she put Sasuke under. "And look, we even brought presents! So your tree doesn't look so empty. We can open them all later," Naruto said, pointing to the small "mountain" of gifts that were on the skirt now.

Sakura's eyes dimmed a little bit, but she still kept a smile on her face. She hoped deep down that none of them were for her. "All right. But for now, how about I make breakfast. That is, unless Sasuke-kun wants to help me. I don't have any flour for him to spill today," she said, a sly smirk stretching across her face as he glared at her.

* * *

"All right! More sake!" Tsunade yelled, making Shizune sigh and the others sweatdrop. "You just had to get her that, didn't you, Kakashi-san?" the brunette asked, shaking her head sadly. He only rubbed the back of his head, his lone visible eye crinkled shut in small embarassment. Sakura just smiled and looked over at Naruto. "All right. Your turn to open a gift then," she said, already noticing how intent the blonde was on with ripping open one of the presents in front of him.

Everyone could only laugh as they watched him hug his gift, which was, not surprisingly, ramen. "Whee! Thank you teme!" he said, only receiving a grunt in return.

Close to an hour later, the gifts were opened and everyone was content, Sakura the most. She didn't get a single gift-in-hand, and she was happy with that. She could only sigh as Shizune rushed to grab a quickly-drunken Tsunade before she hit a lamp. "I think we should go, Sakura-san. Merry Christmas, everyone," she said, bowing her head before grabbing Tsunade's arm and trying her best to get her home without the woman passing out from too much consumption (although that is more likely not to happen).

"I believe we should go as well," Naruto said, already tugging at Hinata's hand to get her home before her father tried to kill him again. "Yes...good night Sakura-chan. Merry Christmas," she said, following suit behind her boyfriend. Kakashi smiled through his mask, "I should go as well. An early morning comes for me tomorrow."

"You just want to read your new book."

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do. Heh, good night Kakashi-sensei."

"Good night, Sakura. Merry Christmas."

Sakura smiled as her next to last guest left. She turned around to meet Sasuke, still sitting on the couch with arms across his chest. "Not leaving yet?" Sakura asked, a little surprised.

"Hn."

"All right. Want some cocoa?"

"No."

"All right."

Sakura went into her kitchen to make a cup for herself, coming back out a few minutes later with the warm mug in her hands. She sat down beside him, enjoying the silence between them as the gentle music played on the radio. He smirked, "You know...you missed a gift." She looked over by the tree, taking notice now of the small box on the skirt. "Hmm? That wasn't there when I passed out the gifts," she said with a sigh, "Why did someone get me a gift? I didn't want one." Sasuke only shrugged, feigning innocence as she stood and grabbed the small package before sitting back down on the couch.

Slowly she opened the wrapping paper on it to reveal a navy blue box, one that is usually associated with gifts bought from jewelry stores. She opened the box and gasped, and Sasuke only smirked as he watched her eyes widen ever slightly at the gift laying inside.

Laying on a cushion of navy blue velvet rested a thin silver chain with a small cherry blossom charm, it too silver with a mix of pink. "It's...beautiful," she said after a few moments, taken aback by the item in her hands.

"You were going to get a gift in your hands, one way or another."

"Sasuke-kun...did you...?"

"Hn."

He took the necklace from the box and unhooked it, placing it around her neck and hooked it again behind her hair. "Sasuke-kun...why? You know I don't like having gifts in my hands," she said softly, staring into the onyx eyes that were playfully lit.

"Because."

"Thank you...anyway, Sasuke-kun."

He took her hand in his and brought her down with him to lay down on the couch. Her cheeks heated up at the close contact, but she relaxed as he chuckled, "Merry Christmas, Sakura."

"Merry Christmas, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Wow, this was long. XD 8 pages of text written in about three hours (fanfictions and Gaia are very distracting, can't you tell?). Well, I hope you enjoyed the story, and have a Merry Christmas! 


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